E Cape diabetics struggle to store medication amid electricity woes

Residents of the Jimistile area in the Eastern Cape are pleading with the government to address the lack of electricity, which is causing significant challenges for people living with diabetes. Some diabetes medications require refrigeration, and without electricity, these patients are struggling to store their medication safely. Many residents are forced to travel to nearby electrified areas to store their medicine, which is a dangerous and inconvenient solution.

The residents claim that despite being provided with solar power for lighting in 2017, not all households benefited, and some batteries are now non-functional. Thembisile Gwazithole, a resident of the area, notes that nearby villages were connected to the electricity grid in 2024, while Jimistile remains without power. Gwazithole states, "We are really struggling," emphasizing the critical need for government intervention.

Elderly resident Nophamethe Bokleni appeals to the government, pleading, "We must not lack while we have government." Bokleni explains that their village is surrounded by electrified areas, but their own locality is left in the dark. Diabetes is now the leading cause of death in South Africa, with over 27,000 recorded deaths linked to the disease in 2023.